UK news – Progress Nothing Lesshttp://progressnothingless.com
Your time is now!Tue, 26 Sep 2017 21:15:14 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.7.2People taking heartburn drugs could have higher risk of death, study claimshttp://progressnothingless.com/people-taking-heartburn-drugs-could-have-higher-risk-of-death-study-claims/
Wed, 05 Jul 2017 09:27:04 +0000http://progressnothingless.com/?p=3396Research suggests people on proton pump inhibitors are more likely to die than those taking different antacid or none at all Millions of people taking common heartburn and journal BMJ Open, it examined the medical records of 3.5 million middle-aged Americans covered by the US veterans healthcare system. The researchers followed 350,000 participants for more …

]]>Research suggests people on proton pump inhibitors are more likely to die than those taking different antacid or none at all

Millions of people taking common heartburn and indigestion medications could be at an increased risk of death, research suggests.

The drugs, known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), neutralise the acid in the stomach and are widely prescribed, with low doses also available without prescription from pharmacies. In the UK, doctors issue more than 50m prescriptions for PPIs every year.

Now researchers say the drugs can increase risk of death, both compared with taking a different type of acid suppressant and not taking any at all.

We saw a small excess risk of dying that could be attributed to the PPI drug, and the risk increased the longer they took them, said Ziyad Al-Aly, an epidemiologist from the University of Washington and co-author of the study.

The team say the study suggests those who take the drugs without needing to could be most at risk. They urged people taking PPIs to check whether this was necessary.

Previous research has raised a range of concerns about PPIs, including links to kidney disease, pneumonia, more hip fractures and higher rates of infection with C difficile, a superbug that can cause life-threatening sepsis, particularly in elderly people in hospitals.

But the latest study is the first to show that PPIs can increase the chance of death. Published in the journal BMJ Open, it examined the medical records of 3.5 million middle-aged Americans covered by the US veterans healthcare system.

The researchers followed 350,000 participants for more than five years and compared those prescribed PPIs to a group receiving a different type of acid suppressant known as an H2 blocker. They also took into account factors such as the participants age, sex and conditions ranging from high blood pressure to HIV.

The results show that those who took PPIs could face a 25% higher risk of death than those who took the H2 blocker.

In patients on [H2 blocker] tablets, there were 3.3 deaths per 100 people over one year. In the PPI group, this figure was higher at 4.7 per 100 people per year, said Al-Aly.

The team also reported that the risk of death for those taking PPIs was 15% higher than those taking no PPIs, and 23% higher than for those taking no acid suppressants at all.

Similar levels of increased risk were seen among people who used PPIs but had no gastrointestinal conditions, a result which the authors speculated might be driving the higher risk seen overall.

Gareth Corbett, a gastroenterologist from Addenbrookes hospital in Cambridge who was not involved with the study, cautioned against panic, pointing out that in most cases the benefits of PPI far outweighed any risk. What was more, he said, while the increased risk sounded high, it was still very low for each person.

PPIs are very effective medicines, proven to save lives and reduce the need for surgery in patients with bleeding gastric and duodenal ulcers and several other conditions, he said.

The studys authors said it was important that PPIs were used only when necessary and stopped when no longer needed.

Corbett agreed that many people take PPIs unnecessarily. They could get rid of their heartburn by making lifestyle changes, such as losing weight and cutting back on alcohol, caffeine and spicy foods, he said.

The authors said the study was observational, meaning it did not show that PPIs were the cause of the increased risk of death, and that it was unclear how the drugs would act to affect mortality. They said the drugs could affect components within cells, known as lysosomes, that help break down waste material, or shortening protective regions at the end of chromosomes, known as telomeres.

Aly said people on PPIs should check with their GP whether the drugs were still needed, adding: In some cases we expect that PPIs can be safely stopped, particularly in patients who have been taking them for a long time.

]]>UK dealer charged in US over multimillion-dollar fake Bitcoin site scamhttp://progressnothingless.com/uk-dealer-charged-in-us-over-multimillion-dollar-fake-bitcoin-site-scam/
Sat, 01 Jul 2017 09:21:11 +0000http://progressnothingless.com/?p=3279Renwick Haddow created trendy companies and duped investors into thinking they were big successes, authorities in New York allege US authorities on Friday charged a British businessman with securities fraud, accusing him of deceiving investors over what turned out to be a fake trading platform for the cryptocurrency Bitcoin. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) …

]]>Renwick Haddow created trendy companies and duped investors into thinking they were big successes, authorities in New York allege

US authorities on Friday charged a British businessman with securities fraud, accusing him of deceiving investors over what turned out to be a fake trading platform for the cryptocurrency Bitcoin.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) alleged the clandestine Renwick Haddow, a UK citizen living in New York, diverted funds invested in a phoney Bitcoin site as well as from a flexible workspace firm Bar Works into accounts in Mauritius and Morocco, totalling $5m.

It said he touted experienced senior executives as behind the operations who turned out to be phantoms, and misrepresented the details and success of both companies.

Andrew Calamari, director of the SECs New York office, said: Haddow created two trendy companies and misled investors into believing that highly qualified executives were leading them to quick profitability.

In reality, Haddow controlled the companies from behind the scenes and they were far from profitable.

Bitcoin Store claimed to be an easy-to-use and secure way of holding and trading Bitcoin that had generated several million dollars in gross sales. The SEC alleged that in fact it never had any operations nor generated the gross sales it touted.

In 2015, Bitcoin Stores bank accounts allegedly received less than $250,000 in incoming transfers, none of which appear to reflect revenue from customers, the SEC said.

Haddows investors pumped more than $37m into Bar Works, which claimed to provide workspaces in old bars and restaurants, but in fact primarily sold leases coupled with sub-leases that together functioned like investment notes, the SEC said in a statement.

The commission alleged that throughout Haddow was hiding his connection to the companies given his checkered past with regulators in the UK, where he has faced similar charges for investment schemes.

According to a report in Crains, 27 investors from China filed suit in the state supreme court on 16 June seeking repayment of more than $3m invested in Bar Works, which they called a Ponzi scheme.

Another investment group filed a similar case against Bar Works in Florida in recent weeks.

]]>Security lockdown in Hong Kong as Xi Jinping marks anniversary of handoverhttp://progressnothingless.com/security-lockdown-in-hong-kong-as-xi-jinping-marks-anniversary-of-handover/
Thu, 29 Jun 2017 07:06:32 +0000http://progressnothingless.com/?p=3217About 11,000 officers will be deployed during Chinese presidents visit as areas of the city are made off limits to the public Swaths of Hong Kong have been placed under an unprecedented security lockdown as Chinese president Xi Jinping arrives in the city to mark 20 years since the UK handed the city back to …

]]>About 11,000 officers will be deployed during Chinese presidents visit as areas of the city are made off limits to the public

Swaths of Hong Kong have been placed under an unprecedented security lockdown as Chinese president Xi Jinping arrives in the city to mark 20 years since the UK handed the city back to China.

Mass protests are expected to greet Xi on the 1 July anniversary, an annual tradition amplified by his presence in the city. Prominent Hong Kong democracy activists, including Joshua Wong and lawmaker Nathan Law, were arrested after they staged a sit in the night before Xis arrival.

The UK handed Hong Kong back to China on 1 July, 1997, ending over 150 years of colonial rule. The city was allowed to remain autonomous from mainland China, and maintains separate laws, government and freedoms under a framework known as one country, two systems.

Saturdays annual march is expected to draw tens of thousands of protesters, starting just as Xi prepares to depart.

Hong Kong has been lied to for 20 years, organisers of the rally wrote in a statement. Lets retake Hong Kong for a real and fully fledged democracy.

Acts of civil disobedience have already begun as police said they arrested 26 people between the ages of 19 and 61 the night before Xis arrival.

Protesters stormed a statue just outside where Xi is set to give a speech to mark the handover, unfurling banners calling for the release of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, who was recently diagnosed with terminal liver cancer while in prison.

Some in the group climbed on top of the 6-metre high sculpture of a golden bauhinia flower, a gift from Beijing to mark the citys return to China in 1997, while others sat around the base and chained themselves together.

Dozens of mainland Chinese tourists were bussed in to watch the daily flag lowering ceremony, just beside the statue, and watched with intense interest, mobile phones held high to capture a moment rarely seen in China.

Police dragged Wong off the statue, with four officers carrying him to a police van as he shouted, Hong Kong people, dont give up! Protest on 1 July!

About 11,000 officers, more than a third of the Hong Kong police force, will be deployed during Xis visit.

The Chinese president will also swear in Hong Kongs next leader, Carrie Lam, on Saturday, as well as visit several highly controversial infrastructure projects including an extension of Beijings palace museum and the bridge connecting Hong Kong to mainland China and inspect troops at the local garrison of the Peoples Liberation Army.

The area surrounding Xis hotel, the Grand Hyatt, and the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, where the main handover anniversary ceremony will take place, are under complete lockdown, ringed by 2-metre high water-filled barriers.

The police presence is felt everywhere in the area, with officers on nearly every corner.

The government has also blanketed the city with red and yellow banners welcoming Xi and hosting dozens of events to celebrate the occasion. More than 120,000 young people are expected to participate in events marking the handover, as officials try to instil a greater sense of connection with China among Hong Kongs youth.

But not all events are welcome. Police have banned a planned vigil to mourn the demise of the city by the pro-independence Hong Kong National Party, accusing the group of violating the Basic Law, the citys mini-constitution.

]]>Latimer Road fire: huge blaze breaks out in 24-storey apartment block in Londonhttp://progressnothingless.com/latimer-road-fire-huge-blaze-breaks-out-in-24-storey-apartment-block-in-london/
Wed, 14 Jun 2017 06:58:13 +0000http://progressnothingless.com/?p=2771Fears that people are trapped in a blaze at the tower block in Latimer Road, near Notting Hill, that broke out in the early hours of Wednesday morningGrenfell Tower fire – live updates A fire has broken out in a tower block in west London with fears that people are trapped in their homes. The …

]]>Fears that people are trapped in a blaze at the tower block in Latimer Road, near Notting Hill, that broke out in the early hours of Wednesday morningGrenfell Tower fire – live updates

A fire has broken out in a tower block in west London with fears that people are trapped in their homes.

The fire in the 24-storey Grenfell Tower on Latimer Road near Notting Hill started in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The London Fire Brigade said on Twitter they were responding to a fire on the Lancaster West Estate after multiple calls. Two hundred fire fighters were at the scene along with forty engines that were called at just after 12.50am.

In a statement on Facebook, assistant commissioner Dan Daly said: Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus are working extremely hard in very difficult conditions to tackle this fire. This is a large and very serious incident and we have deployed numerous resources and specialist appliances.

The statement said the fire reached from the second storey of the building to the top and the cause of the fire was not known. The London Ambulance Service said it had sent a number of resources to the area including its hazardous area response team.

London mayor Sadiq Khan said in a brief statement on Twitter that it was a major incident.

The Metropolitan Police said two people were being treated at the scene for smoke inhalation and cordons were in place. Residents in neighbouring streets were being evacuated and roads in the area, including the Westway, were closed.

Celeste Thomas said there were hundreds of people outside the building with residents and families trying to find each other.

One local resident and witness, Victoria Goldsmith, told Sky news: The whole building seems to be engulfed now. Its spread all the way to the top.

There was was literally two people trapped at the top and they had mobile phones and they had the lights trying to flash them and signal people … They couldnt get to them … the fire kept going and the lights went out.

They are trying to get it under control. Its pretty horrendous.

George Clarke, the presenter of Amazing Spaces, lives nearby. He told Radio 5 Live: I was in bed and heard beep, beep, beep and thought, Ill get up and run downstairs as quickly as I could.

I thought it might be a car alarm outside and saw the glow through the windows.

]]>Worse terror attack on London Bridge foiled by chance, police sayhttp://progressnothingless.com/worse-terror-attack-on-london-bridge-foiled-by-chance-police-say/
Sat, 10 Jun 2017 13:06:23 +0000http://progressnothingless.com/?p=2660Three terrorists who killed eight people in the UK capital last Saturday tried unsuccessfully to hire 7.5-tonne lorry hours before the attack The three terrorists who struck London Bridge last Saturday tried to hire a 7.5-tonne lorry on the morning of the attack to kill even more people and inflict an even bigger atrocity on …

]]>Three terrorists who killed eight people in the UK capital last Saturday tried unsuccessfully to hire 7.5-tonne lorry hours before the attack

The three terrorists who struck London Bridge last Saturday tried to hire a 7.5-tonne lorry on the morning of the attack to kill even more people and inflict an even bigger atrocity on Britain.

Police revealed the attempt to rent the lorry was made hours before they staged the attack, with the trio instead using a rented van to run people over, and then going on a stabbing rampage, killing eight and wounding 48.

The van was hired by the ringleader, named by police as Khuram Butt. Police believe the intended atrocity was on a similar scale to that in Nice, France, in August 2016 when a truck drove into a crowd and left 86 people dead.

The attempted truck hire failed only by chance, because Butt failed to provide payment details. Instead they hired a Renault van from a firm in Harold Hill, Romford, in east London.

Commander Dean Haydon, of Scotland Yards counter-terrorism command, said: Concerningly, Butt had earlier attempted to hire a 7.5-tonne lorry that same morning. When he did not provide payment details, the rental did not go ahead. The effects could have been even worse.

Scotland Yard gave their fullest detail yet of the attack last Saturday, the third to strike Britain in three months, amid debate about tougher measures, impacting on civil liberties, to protect the United Kingdom against an unprecedented terrorism threat.

The attackers drove to London Bridge at 9.58pm. They drove up and down twice as a practice run, or by way of reconnaissance, before U-turning and then mowing down people in the van, driven by Butt. Three people were killed there, with one, French tourist Xavier Thomas, knocked into the river Thames as he walked with his girlfriend on a summer evening.

The trio then took knives they had bought, tied to their wrists with leather straps. All three had the same type of pink 12-inch kitchen knife with a ceramic blade. After crashing their hired van into railings, they first went off on their own to attack people, then regrouped to rampage through Borough market.

They had wrapped water bottles in grey tape to look like a suicide belt, strung around their upper bodies. As they set upon a young man passing by, armed police rushed towards the terrorists to save him. The police opened fire and killed the attackers in a hail of 46 bullets. At least two officers came under direct attack from the jihadis.

Butt, 27, Rachid Redouane, 30, and Youssef Zaghba, 22, were all killed by police. One passerby was shot in the head by a police bullet.

Three people died after being hit by the van and five were stabbed to death in the attack led by Butt.

In the van police found 13 wine bottles containing flammable liquid with rags stuffed in them, essentially Molotov cocktails, and blow torches to ignite them, potentially meant for another wave of attacks. There were also bags of gravel, chairs and a suitcase meant to hide their murderous intent if the rental company or friends asked why they had hired a van.

The counter-terrorism command believes an east London flat rented since April by Redouane was the safe house where they prepared their attack. Detectives recovered craft knives from the flat used to cut the leather straps attached to the knives, lighter fluid used in the petrol bombs and other materials linking it directly to the attack.

Butt had been investigated by MI5 in 2015 but slipped off their radar after they found no evidence of attack planning or any crime. He was an acolyte of Anjem Choudary, an extremist cleric whose groups were believed by security officials to be a gateway to terrorism, with MI5 assessing that 500 people linked to them went on to commit terrorist acts.

Police early on Saturday morning took a sixth person into custody over the attack. Officers from the Mets Counter-terrorism Command, supported by the Territorial Support Group, arrested the 27-year-old man at a residential address in Ilford on suspicion of being concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. He was being held under the Terrorism Act at a police station in Berkshire. Searches of the residential address in Ilford are ongoing, said a Met statement.

Five other people are being held as detectives and MI5 investigate if anyone assisted the London Bridge terrorists or had knowledge of their plans in any shape or form. Haydon said there was no evidence of direction from overseas for the attack and that forensics from the van and safe house tie only the three dead terrorists to the actual attack.

Haydon said he expected more arrests and searches as the inquiry continued against a backdrop of unprecedented attack planning and terrorist threat level.

Haydon said his teams were working flat out: We also need to watch out for those who may be inspired by these recent attacks. He asked firms to report people they are suspicious of who are trying to hire vehicles or trucks for no particular reason.

He said the Muslim holy month of Ramadan was a trigger factor for the upsurge, and it ends in just over a fortnight.

The van used was booked out at 5.50pm on the evening of the attack, using a recently activated mobile phone bought by Butt, and was due to be returned at 10am the next morning.

It was picked up at 6.30pm and by 7.17pm it arrived at a Barking address used by Zaghba.

At 7.38pm the attackers left the address and drove from east London to just south of the centre of the capital.

By 9.58pm they drove north to south across London Bridge in the first of the two reconnaissance runs, and then started the attack. The first 999 call to police was at 10.08pm, with police having shot them dead eight minutes later.

At the time of the attack, Butt was on bail for a non-terrorist offence, of trying to defraud a bank. Police said the CPS has decided they would not prosecute him. He also had two cautions, one in 2008 for fraud, and one in 2010 for assault. The other two had no criminal record in the UK and inquiries found none in countries they had links to. In Zaghbas case that was Italy where he lived and Morocco, in Redouane s case that was Ireland as well as Morocco and Libya.

Extra protection against vehicle attacks are now being put on eight London bridges including at Westminster, Waterloo, Lambeth, Tower Bridge, Blackfriars and Vauxhall. Urgent security reviews are being carried out for all events, including summer music festivals.

]]>May adopts contrite tone after Tory MPs vent anger over electionhttp://progressnothingless.com/may-adopts-contrite-tone-after-tory-mps-vent-anger-over-election/
Sat, 10 Jun 2017 10:57:22 +0000http://progressnothingless.com/?p=2657Prime minister apologises to Tories who lost seats and reaffirms top cabinet posts in DUP-backed minority government A chastened Theresa May has apologised to her party colleagues, after squandering the Conservatives majority with an ill-fated snap general election, forcing her to turn to Northern Irelands Democratic Unionist party for backing. A surge in support for …

]]>Prime minister apologises to Tories who lost seats and reaffirms top cabinet posts in DUP-backed minority government

A chastened Theresa May has apologised to her party colleagues, after squandering the Conservatives majority with an ill-fated snap general election, forcing her to turn to Northern Irelands Democratic Unionist party for backing.

A surge in support for Jeremy Corbyns Labour party and its anti-austerity message drove the Conservatives into retreat, leaving them unable to form a majority government alone.

Labour won the last seat to declare, Kensington and Chelsea, meaning it had 262 MPs and the Conservatives 318 MPs. The prime minister will seek to govern with the help of the DUPs 10 MPs.

In a contrite interview, May said: I wanted to achieve a larger majority. That was not the result we secured. And Im sorry for all those candidates and hard-working party workers who werent successful, but also for those colleagues who were MPs and ministers and contributed so much to our country and who lost their seats and who didnt deserve to lose their seats.

Her explicit apology came after some colleagues were infuriated by an earlier statement in Downing Street that failed to acknowledge the disastrous election result, which many regard as self-inflicted.

After returning from Buckingham Palace, where she received the Queens blessing to form a government, May had promised to provide certainty, and urged her colleagues: Lets get to work.

The prime minister received the staunch backing of pro-Brexit MPs, including Brexit secretary David Davis, amid fears that the election result could stall the process of leaving the European Union, with formal talks due to start within 10 days.

Steve Baker, chair of the influential pro-Brexit European Research Group of backbench MPs, said: My principal thought is that its essential that Conservative MPs support Theresa May as prime minister and make it possible to form the most stable government possible.

Nicky Morgan, who was sacked as education secretary by May, said: Im reeling. I think were all reeling. I think theres real fury against the campaign and the buck stops at the top.

She said it was right for the prime minister to continue in office for the time being, but added: I think she wont fight another election and I think eventually, whether it takes weeks or months, we will have to look at the leadership.

Other MPs speculated openly about the likelihood that May could be forced to call another election within months, as she struggles to govern with a wafer-thin majority, even with the backing of the DUP.

Sarah Wollaston, the Conservative MP for Totnes and former chair of the Commons health committee, said: I do think she should stay on but I wouldnt be surprised if we end up having another election soon and people will be absolutely appalled by it.

May, who used a threat of a Labour-led coalition of chaos as a key attack line during the campaign, will not enter into a formal deal with the DUP but hopes to win its backing on a vote-by-vote basis. She is expected to address parliamentary colleagues next week in a bid to shore up support.

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron accused her of trying to form her own coalition of chaos. He said: She put her party before her country. She has been found out. She should be ashamed.

She has brought weakness and uncertainty. If she has an ounce of self-respect she will resign.

In a sign of the prime ministers weakened authority, she reappointed the five senior cabinet members Amber Rudd, Davis, Boris Johnson, Philip Hammond and Michael Fallon despite expectations that Hammond, and perhaps Johnson, could be moved aside if she enhanced her majority.

One cabinet source said May had offered them a reassurance that things will be changing, and a remark in her television interview that she would announce further personnel changes was read by insiders as a hint that she could be ready to sacrifice Hill and Timothy. The pair were not in their usual place at her side in No 10 on Friday night, Downing Street insiders said.

More junior appointments are expected to be made at the weekend as the prime minister replaces frontbenchers who lost their seats including Ben Gummer, the former Ipswich MP who was one of the key authors of the ill-fated manifesto, and housing minister Gavin Barwell, who lost Croydon Central.

While Labour fell well short of a parliamentary majority, Corbyns team believe the result was a vindication of their upbeat, anti-cuts message, and will seek to obstruct fresh austerity measures, including Tory manifesto policies such as means-testing the winter fuel allowance, in the voting lobbies.

A spokesman for Corbyn said: We will be using the changed parliamentary arithmetic to drive home the fact that the Tory programme for five more years of austerity will not go on as before.

Labour was invigorated by an upbeat campaign, which saw the party leader address scores of mass rallies, and resulted in many MPs significantly increasing their majorities.

Longtime Conservative seats, including Canterbury in Kent, were snatched by a resurgent Labour, which polled 40% of the vote, with the Conservatives on 42%, as minor parties were squeezed. The increase in Labours vote share was the largest for any party between two general elections since 1945.

Corbyns colleagues, including those who had previously expressed strong criticism of his leadership, praised his campaign. Owen Smith, who challenged Corbyn for the party leadership last summer after saying he was unfit for the job, said: I take my hat off to him, Chuka Umunna, the Streatham MP previously considered a potential leadership challenger, said he would consider accepting a role in a Corbyn-led shadow cabinet.

In Scotland the Scottish National party lost 21 of its 56 seats, including those of party heavyweights Angus Robertson and Alex Salmond, with the Conservatives, Lib Dems and Labour all making gains.

Nicola Sturgeons dramatic demand for a second independence referendum before the UK leaves the EU appeared not to have enthused the electorate.

One explanation for Labours better-than-expected performance was its success in picking up a share of the votes lost by Ukip, which withdrew from many seats and saw its support collapse in others. Corbyns party has made a deliberate populist pitch for left behind voters; and sought to neutralise the issue of Brexit by backing Mays legislation triggering Article 50.

Ukip leader Paul Nuttall announced on Friday that he would be stepping down, after less than a year in the post, prompting speculation that Nigel Farage could step back into the role. In a speech in London, Nuttall promised his party would continue to be the guard dogs of Brexit in the months ahead.

]]>Eight reasons why Jeremy Corbyn robbed Theresa May of a landslide | Zoe Willlamshttp://progressnothingless.com/eight-reasons-why-jeremy-corbyn-robbed-theresa-may-of-a-landslide-zoe-willlams/
Fri, 09 Jun 2017 09:31:01 +0000http://progressnothingless.com/?p=2624The game-changing manifesto, the galvanised youth vote a number of factors combined to create the worst Conservative campaign for decades Support our journalism by becoming a Guardian supporter or making a contribution Youve got to love it. A political system in which theres no winner. Almost everyone, from some angle, is a loser. Nobody can …

]]>The game-changing manifesto, the galvanised youth vote a number of factors combined to create the worst Conservative campaign for decades Support our journalism by becoming a Guardian supporter or making a contribution

Youve got to love it. A political system in which theres no winner. Almost everyone, from some angle, is a loser. Nobody can work out wholl be prime minister in the morning. Everyones muttering darkly about another election in October. Weve come down to wondering whether Sinn Fin will drop its absentee policy. And all any progressive can feel is triumphant, unbridled joy. I mean, youve got to love it. Even when you hate it, youve got to love it.

What delivered this almighty blow to Theresa Mays magnificently misplaced self-belief? In no particular order or rather, I believe all these factors to be of equal importance.

1) Jeremy Corbyns manifesto

The strategically magical thing about the manifesto was ending tuition fees, which was simultaneously a brilliant, simple, persuasive bid for the self-interested allegiance of a very large and coherent body of voters, and an iteration of his authentically held belief, that tertiary education is a public good.

2) Jeremy Corbyns campaign

I read in November as part of the dazed explanation for Donald Trumps victory that stans were more important than supporters. I had to Google what a stan was: it is a wild enthusiast, an off-the-charts believer, a person who will bore the pub down. Corbyn has these, and no other British politician does. If Im honest, I read that and I still didnt believe it, but when our Wales correspondent Steven Morris said this morning: Corbyns crowd was so big in Colwyn Bay that nobody could believe that many people lived in Colwyn Bay, I thought, stans.

3) The youth vote

This is not simply about student fees: it is about Brexit; about pensions as somehow being exempt from the toxic benefits narrative; about the housing crisis; about the dovetailing of so many issues in which the status quo was seen to serve the old; about the radical, the young.

4) Voter registration among the young

From the National Union of Students; from civic tech entrepreneurs, building apps and websites of dazzling innovation; from celebrities too cautious to endorse a party but feeling it enough to push the importance of representation. One million 18- to 34-year-olds have registered to vote since the election was called. It is seismic.

5) Turnout helps

All progressive parties pin a lot of their hopes on the people who traditionally dont turn up. In the few seats that have declared as I write this, turnout has been much more like referendum levels than 2015 GE levels.

6) The Green party

They have taken a hit in vote share. Numbers in the north-east are down to the hundreds. This is because they took a moral decision to stand aside in some seats, campaign together in others, form non-aggression pacts across constituencies to prevent a Conservative landslide at any cost. The cost, to them as a party, has been pretty great. Typically, it will hit them in university towns, where their vote share was high for reason of a concentration of educated people, thinking about things. In Newcastle-upon-Tyne East, they were down nearly seven points. The very least the Labour party, and all of us, can do is to acknowledge that this was the result of decisive action on their part, and not just an unfortunate loss of interest in the environment.

7) That coalition of chaos (or progressive alliance, as we prefer to call it)

While the Greens were the only party to pursue it officially, local activists in huge numbers, from the Liberal Democrats, Labour, the Womens Equality party, the National Health Action party, worked together to maximise their chances.

8) The internet has finally done something useful

The Conservatives ran their banner ads on Facebook as usual, but this time the progressive wing came back: Crowdpac raised money for candidates and campaigns; networks built up between British progressives and Bernie Sanders campaigners, which yielded new activism in the squishy meat world; tactical voting found online organisation that turned it into tactical campaigning.

Psephologists and commentators will spend the next few days talking about technicalities and tactics: how did the SNP lose what to whom? Why didnt the Liberals bounce? When will the Conservatives turn against May? Who will seek allegiance from where, to demand what kind of dominance? But never forget that this was the power of the swarm, people in huge numbers voting in ways that even the bookies told them they never would.

And just as an afterthought: it was the worst Conservative campaign in living memory. And thats even if you remember Michael Howard.

]]>General election: May falters during challenge over record on public serviceshttp://progressnothingless.com/general-election-may-falters-during-challenge-over-record-on-public-services/
Sat, 03 Jun 2017 08:40:08 +0000http://progressnothingless.com/?p=2454PM confronted by nurse over issue of low pay in Question Time special, while Jeremy Corbyn is questioned over Trident and national security Theresa May came under sustained pressure over the Conservative partys record on public sector pay, mental health services and social care in a combative election edition of BBC1s Question Time broadcast less …

]]>PM confronted by nurse over issue of low pay in Question Time special, while Jeremy Corbyn is questioned over Trident and national security

Theresa May came under sustained pressure over the Conservative partys record on public sector pay, mental health services and social care in a combative election edition of BBC1s Question Time broadcast less than a week before polling day.

The prime minister faced a string of awkward questions from members of the public, including a challenge from a nurse, Victoria Davey, who left May faltering after confronting her over the 1% pay increase received by NHS staff.

May said she recognised the hard work people did in the health service but said her party had taken the difficult decision of enforcing pay restraint. Im being honest with you saying we will put more money in, but there isnt a magic money tree that we can shake to get everything we want, she said.

The prime minister claimed wages in the NHS had increased, to which a man in the audience shouted that there had been a real-terms salary drop of 14% since 2010, adding: So dont tell us were getting a pay rise.

One woman from the audience became emotional as she described emerging from a fitness-for-work test in tears after being asked about her suicide attempts. Im not going to make any excuses for the experience youve had, said the prime minister.

Under pressure after refusing to turn up for a TV debate earlier in the week, May was animated at first and rejected an accusation that she had performed a U-turn by calling a snap general election. No its not, sir I had the balls to call an election, she said.

Appearing straight after May on the programme, Jeremy Corbyn also faced hostile questioning, coming under pressure over defence and security.

Pressed over his willingness to push the nuclear button in the face of imminent threat, the Labour leader said: I think the idea of anyone ever using a nuclear weapon anywhere in the world is utterly appalling and terrible. It would result in the destruction of lives and community and environment of millions of people. I would be actively engaged to ensure that danger didnt come about.

Asked again if there were any circumstances in which he would use such a weapon, Corbyn said his party had committed to renew Trident. I would view the idea of using a nuclear weapon as something resulting in a failure of the whole worlds diplomatic system, he said. There has to be no first use. There has to be a process of engagement to bring about ultimately global nuclear disarmament You cannot countenance a world in which we could all be destroyed by nuclear war.

]]>As chaos mounts, are the grown-ups reasserting themselves in Washington? | Geoffrey Kabaservicehttp://progressnothingless.com/as-chaos-mounts-are-the-grown-ups-reasserting-themselves-in-washington-geoffrey-kabaservice/
Sun, 21 May 2017 06:46:30 +0000http://progressnothingless.com/?p=2069Its not yet clear if Trumps presidency has suffered a mortal injury, but its credibility has taken a big hit Republicans are not much given to quoting Lenin, but they might be in a mood to sympathise with his supposed observation that there are decades when nothing happens and weeks when decades happen. It feels …

]]>Its not yet clear if Trumps presidency has suffered a mortal injury, but its credibility has taken a big hit

Republicans are not much given to quoting Lenin, but they might be in a mood to sympathise with his supposed observation that there are decades when nothing happens and weeks when decades happen.

It feels like a decades worth of misery rained down on Republicans in Congress and the Trump administration last week and theres no telling whether this week will bring a respite or more of the same. The damaging stories have come so thick and fast that there has hardly been time to take in one before the arrival of the next.

Then it was off to the races with the Comey memo (apparently alleging that Trump tried to get the FBI director to call off his investigation into former national security adviser, Michael Flynn); revelations about Flynn having been in effect a foreign agent of Turkey, news of previously undisclosed contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia; the appointment of a special counsel to investigate Russian meddling; and on and on and on. Rumour has it that firings of top aides are imminent, while others in the administration are said to be polishing their CVs or putting pen to tell-all memoirs.

As I write this, the New York Times is reporting that Trump told Russian officials that he fired Comey because he was crazy, a real nut job and that his removal had taken away the great pressure Trump faced because of Russia. Who knows what revelation tomorrow may bring?

Its too soon to tell what the long-term impact of all of this upheaval will be. Many historical-minded commentators have suggested parallels with the Watergate scandal that brought down Richard Nixon, while others have pointed toward the Iran-Contra affair, which ultimately didnt detract from Ronald Reagans popularity. The possibility of Trumps impeachment, once discussed only on wild-eyed, leftist websites, is now a matter of serious consideration in the media and some Democratic circles.

At this point, the major similarity to Watergate is that a lot of Americans who in years past never talked about politics now talk about it all the time and in settings where politics rarely used to come up. Politics, its said, is displacing talk of sports and sex in such unlikely venues as bars, nail salons and strip clubs. The American Psychological Association recently warned that people increasingly feel stressed and cynical on account of political arguments in the workplace, sapping employee morale and performance.

On an anecdotal level, politics seems to be sundering friendships on social media platforms such as Facebook as well as in real life. Dating websites also report that fewer people are willing to consider relationships with people who dont share their political beliefs. On Match.com, 60% of singles said they were less open to dating across party lines than they were two years ago. One woman interviewed by a Washington, DC, radio station insisted that she couldnt date a supporter of the opposing party because when somebody has beliefs that you think are just morally wrong, it feels like a personal attack on you.

The phenomenon of political polarisation predates Trump, of course. In many ways, it goes back to the Nixon administration, when conservative aide Patrick Buchanan recommended that Republicans exploit tensions of race and class and use controversial social and cultural issues such as abortion to split the Democratic coalition. Such tactics could cut the Democratic party and country in half, he wrote to Nixon in 1971, and we would have far the larger half.

Another Nixon adviser, Roger Ailes, who died last week at age 77, also contributed to polarization by creating Fox News as a conservative counter to the mainstream news networks that took pride in their objectivity. More and more Americans now get their news from nakedly ideological outlets, which makes it less likely that theyll encounter opposing views or be able to distinguish truth from falsehood.

Trump ran a more divisive campaign than Nixon ever contemplated and, indeed, turned it into the sort of reality-TV spectacle that has driven all of those shouting matches at the office water cooler, Facebook unfriendings and failed first dates. Buchanans prediction has proved true: Republicans have cut the country in half and ended up with the bigger piece, as they now control a majority of both houses of Congress and governorships as well as the White House.

The continuing benefits of polarisation for Republicans have been evident even during the past difficult week. A recent poll shows that even as Trumps overall approval rating continues to slide, 84% of his supporters still approve of the job hes doing (although the share who strongly approve is waning). Many of his adherents simply dismiss the damaging stories about Trump as fake news purveyed by a biased liberal media. Theyre likely to continue to support the Republicans so long as they believe that Democrats represent a diabolical threat to the nation.

Many Republicans also point to accomplishments that wouldnt have happened under a Hillary Clinton presidency. Foremost among these is Neil Gorsuchs confirmation as supreme court justice, restoring the conservative majority. Trump voters, whose primary issue was immigration, are heartened by the news that arrests of immigrants have soared even as crossings at the Mexican border have dropped. And Trump signed more executive orders in his first 100 days in office than any president since Franklin Roosevelt, although most of those orders signalled Trumps intention to reverse President Obamas legacy on the environment and other issues.

]]>Popular social media sites ‘harm young people’s mental health’http://progressnothingless.com/popular-social-media-sites-harm-young-peoples-mental-health/
Fri, 19 May 2017 06:43:04 +0000http://progressnothingless.com/?p=2009Poll of 14- to 24-year-olds shows Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter increased feelings of inadequacy and anxiety Four of the five most popular forms of social media harm young peoples mental health, with Instagram the most damaging, according to research by two health organisations. Instagram has the most deepening young peoples feelings of inadequacy and …

The survey, published on Friday, concluded that Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter are also harmful. Among the five only YouTube was judged to have a positive impact.

The four platforms have a negative effect because they can exacerbate childrens and young peoples body image worries, and worsen bullying, sleep problems and feelings of anxiety, depression and loneliness, the participants said.

The findings follow growing concern among politicians, health bodies, doctors, charities and parents about young people suffering harm as a result of sexting, cyberbullying and social media reinforcing feelings of self-loathing and even the risk of them committing suicide.

Its interesting to see Instagram and Snapchat ranking as the worst for mental health and wellbeing. Both platforms are very image-focused and it appears that they may be driving feelings of inadequacy and anxiety in young people, said Shirley Cramer, chief executive of the Royal Society for Public Health, which undertook the survey with the Young Health Movement.

She demanded tough measures to make social media less of a wild west when it comes to young peoples mental health and wellbeing. Social media firms should bring in a pop-up image to warn young people that they have been using it a lot, while Instagram and similar platforms should alert users when photographs of people have been digitally manipulated, Cramer said.

The 1,479 young people surveyed were asked to rate the impact of the five forms of social media on 14 different criteria of health and wellbeing, including their effect on sleep, anxiety, depression, loneliness, self-identity, bullying, body image and the fear of missing out.

Instagram emerged with the most negative score. It rated badly for seven of the 14 measures, particularly its impact on sleep, body image and fear of missing out and also for bullying and feelings of anxiety, depression and loneliness. However, young people cited its upsides too, including self-expression, self-identity and emotional support.

YouTube scored very badly for its impact on sleep but positively in nine of the 14 categories, notably awareness and understanding of other peoples health experience, self-expression, loneliness, depression and emotional support.

However, the leader of the UKs psychiatrists said the findings were too simplistic and unfairly blamed social media for the complex reasons why the mental health of so many young people is suffering.

Prof Sir Simon Wessely, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: I am sure that social media plays a role in unhappiness, but it has as many benefits as it does negatives.. We need to teach children how to cope with all aspects of social media good and bad to prepare them for an increasingly digitised world. There is real danger in blaming the medium for the message.

Tom Madders, its director of campaigns and communications, said: Prompting young people about heavy usage and signposting to support they may need, on a platform that they identify with, could help many young people.

However, he also urged caution in how content accessed by young people on social media is perceived. Its also important to recognise that simply protecting young people from particular content types can never be the whole solution. We need to support young people so they understand the risks of how they behave online, and are empowered to make sense of and know how to respond to harmful content that slips through filters.

Parents and mental health experts fear that platforms such as Instagram can make young users feel worried and inadequate by facilitating hostile comments about their appearance or reminding them that they have not been invited to, for example, a party many of their peers are attending.

May, who has made childrens mental health one of her priorities, highlighted social medias damaging effects in her shared society speech in January, saying: We know that the use of social media brings additional concerns and challenges. In 2014, just over one in 10 young people said that they had experienced cyberbullying by phone or over the internet.

In February, Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, warned social media and technology firms that they could face sanctions, including through legislation, unless they did more to tackle sexting, cyberbullying and the trolling of young users.